How to review agencies and
non-departmental public bodies to improve the quality and effectiveness of public services
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Introduction
Who this guidance is for
What this guidance is for
How this guidance is structured
Recognising the bigger picture
Delivery mechanisms
Past performance
Improving future performance
Listening to customers, staff and other stakeholders
Partnership working
Joint or parallel reviews
Making better use of technology
Co-terminosity of boundaries
Identifying and spreading good practice
Framework Documents and Management Statements
"We will deliver public services to meet the needs of citizens, not the
convenience of service providers… We will deliver efficient, high quality public
services..."
Modernising Government White Paper, March 1999
Introduction
1.1. The Modernising Government White Paper 1 set out
the Government’s key commitments for achieving a step change in the delivery of
public services. The services and functions provided by Agencies and Non-Departmental
Public Bodies (NDPBs) are at the heart of this programme of reform. They represent a
significant proportion of all services provided by government, and they touch and affect a
wide range of customers and users. How effectively they are delivered is a key element in
the success of Modernising Government.
Who this guidance is for
1.2 This guidance is for:
 | Departments – which are responsible, on behalf of their Ministers, for ensuring
that reviews of their Agencies and NDPBs are carried out. |
| Reviewers – who are responsible for the day to day running of the review within
agreed terms of reference and for producing the review report. |
| Agencies and NDPBs – who, whilst not carrying out the review, are key to it being
conducted properly and for taking forward its recommendations. |
1.3. This guidance is applicable to Executive Agencies and executive NDPBs. The
principles underlying reviews of both types of organisation are the same and it should be
assumed that this guidance applies to both except where it is made clear that in the case
of NDPBs a different approach should be adopted.
1.4. Advisory and Tribunal NDPBs and Boards of Visitors of Penal Establishments are
also subject to quinquennial reviews. In the past most of these bodies have been subject
to a "lighter touch" approach given that they normally employ no staff and incur
minimal expenditure. This approach will continue and Fact
Sheet 1 sets out the minimum requirements for such reviews. In addition, it
is the Department of Health’s policy that Special Health Authorities should be
subject to quinquennial reviews in the same way as executive NDPBs.
1.5. The guidance will also be relevant to an Agency’s or NDPB’s customers,
staff and their trade unions, and other stakeholders in informing them of the basis on
which a review will be carried out; and of the type of information a review may seek their
views on.
What this guidance is for
1.6. The Government is committed to quality and continuous improvement. It is also
committed to delivering services which are responsive to the needs of those who use them,
in terms of easy access, and in being organised in such a way as to reflect people’s
real lives. It recognises that some public services match the best in their ability to
deliver services and functions efficiently and effectively. But others do not, and the
Government intends to bring them up to the level of the best, and to make the best even
better. Agency and NDPB reviews are a major component of a programme of continuous
improvement based on five principles: challenge; compare; consult; compete; and
collaborate. These principles are also being acted upon by setting clear targets through
Departmental and cross-cutting Public Service Agreements and through the Better Quality
Services initiative, reviewing all central government activities and functions to identify
the ‘best supplier’.
1.7. This guidance describes a revised and updated approach to Agency and NDPB reviews
to make them a more effective agent for change and improvement and in doing so to help
drive forward the Modernising Government programme. Organisational questions, on which
reviews have concentrated in the past, remain important. But reviews need to reflect more
closely Modernising Government themes, such as partnership working and the use of new
technology; and be more forward looking if they are to help achieve better public services
in the future.
Key features of the new approach
| A two-stage approach in which:
 | the organisational options are considered first; and then |
| if Agency or NDPB status is confirmed, a forward looking examination as to how to help
develop and improve performance; recognising, however, that there may not always be a hard
division between the two stages and that some iteration may be relevant and appropriate.
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| During both stages, taking greater account of the views of customers, staff and their
trade unions, and other stakeholders in identifying how to improve the responsiveness and
quality of services and functions to enable reviews to become a more effective lever in
delivering services which meet people’s needs.
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| For Agencies, the organisational options to be assessed equally on their merits, to
identify the most appropriate and cost effective way of delivering responsive, efficient
and high quality services and functions.
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| For NDPBs, reviews will continue to be required to determine first whether the function
is required at all, and if it is whether an NDPB is the best option for its delivery. This
is to reflect t#he Government’s policy of exerting downward pressure on the number of
NDPBs.
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| The second stage to be forward-looking providing greater emphasis on looking at how
services and functions could be provided more effectively in the future, including the
scope for partnership working and making better use of new technology.
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| Recognition that under certain circumstances, joint or parallel reviews, involving more
than one Agency and/or NDPB may be the best way to harness the potential of reviews to
achieve improved delivery of Agency or NDPB services and functions. |
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How this guidance is structured
1.8. The guidance is intended to encourage an informed and flexible approach to Agency
and NDPB reviews. Part One is an overview of the review process and its purpose. Part Two
describes general issues which will be applicable to most reviews such as the scale and
timing of a review; how it should be announced; and the role of the Cabinet Office and
Treasury.
1.9. Part Three is divided into a number of separate fact sheets which are referred to
in Parts One and Two. These provide more detailed guidance on particular aspects of a
review and the types of questions Departments and/or reviewers should consider asking. It
is up to Departments, Agencies, NDPBs and reviewers to make the most of the advice they
contain depending on their experience; the size and nature of the Agency or NDPB being
reviewed; and the scope of a review.
Key issues
Stage One – Getting the organisation right
| The bigger picture – how does the Agency or NDPB contribute to the delivery of
wider Departmental and Government objectives (as reflected in the appropriate Public
Service Agreements)?
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| Links with others – what links does, or should, the Agency or NDPB have with other
parts of the public sector, including local government, and with the private sector? Is it
appropriate to carry out a joint review with other relevant Agencies or NDPBs?
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| Past performance – how has the Agency or NDPB performed against its aims,
objectives, key targets and quality standards? How has it used the freedoms and
flexibilities it enjoys? How well has it worked with others in delivering its own,
Departmental and Ministerial objectives? Has the balance between the Agency’s or
NDPB’s involvement in delivery and policy formulation been right?
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| Responsiveness – what do the Agency’s or NDPB’s customers and other
interested parties think about its role and performance; and how responsive it has been to
their needs? Are there other groups whose needs the Agency or NDPB should have been
addressing but have not? What do the Agency’s or NDPB’s own staff and their
trade unions think about how well it has performed?
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| Delivery mechanisms – how should the Agency’s or NDPB’s services be
delivered in the future? Which organisational option is best suited to delivering
responsive, efficient and quality services in the future?
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| Good practice – what examples are there of good practice in how the Agency or NDPB
has delivered its services? Is there evidence that it is systematically using quality
schemes like the EFQM Excellence Model®, Charter Mark and Investors in People? |
Stage Two – Improving performance
| Aims and objectives – are they the right ones to help the Agency or NDPB play its
part in delivering wider Departmental or Government objectives? Do they focus on the
outcomes to be delivered? Will any changes require amendments to the Department’s
Public Service Agreement?
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| Performance targets – do they properly reflect and support the Agency’s or
NDPB’s aims and objectives; and are they integrated with the Department’s Public
Service Agreement? If targets need to be amended, will this have an impact on the
Department’s Public Service Agreement? Are targets sufficiently comprehensive and
stretching to drive improvement? Is there sufficient continuity from one year to the next?
Is performance properly validated?
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| Responsiveness – how can the Agency or NDPB improve its responsiveness to those who
use its services and functions? How can it start responding to others whose needs it also
should be addressing? How does it involve staff, including those at the front-line, and
their trade unions in the way it works?
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| Partnership working – where should the Agency or NDPB develop joint-working
arrangements with other bodies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service
delivery?
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| New technology – how can the Agency or NDPB make better use of new technology to
improve the delivery of its services and functions? Are the future business and IT
strategies properly integrated?
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| Freedoms and flexibilities – does the Agency or NDPB need different freedoms or
flexibilities? Could it improve the delivery of its services and functions if it were
given more?
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| Governance and reporting – do Agency/ NDPB, Departmental and Ministerial roles and
reporting arrangements need clearer definition? Do they provide proper support to
operational and policy work?
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| Co-terminosity and "joined-up" Government – where they have a regional
network, do the organisational boundaries of the Agency/NDPB align with those with which
they are working, e.g. local authorities? |
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1.10. Agencies and NDPBs do not exist in isolation from the rest of government. The
services and functions they provide are important to the achievement of wider Government
programmes
and policies, not just in relation to improving responsiveness and quality but also in
relation to other related policies on, for example, opportunity, diversity and
inclusiveness; productivity and sustainable development; and science and innovation. The
role which Agencies and NDPBs play in relation to the bigger picture is important when
considering the question of organisation in Stage One. It is also important in deciding
whether a joint or parallel review is worth carrying out; in analysing whether there is
scope for greater partnership working with other parts of the public sector, including
local government, and with the private sector; and whether an Agency’s or NDPB’s
aims and objectives, and its performance targets need to be amended to help drive
improvements in the future.
1.11. In thinking about how an Agency or NDPB fits into what the Government wants to
achieve more widely, the starting point should be the Departmental and cross-cutting
Public Service Agreements which were published in December 1998 2.
These set out, for the period 1999-2002, the aims and objectives of each Department (and
for a number of policies and programmes where responsibility is shared by more than one
Department), and the targets which have been set in order to achieve them. The next
generation of Agreements should be in place by Summer 2000.
1.12. A periodic review of Agency or NDPB status is necessary to identify whether they
remain the most suitable way of delivering public services. These reviews provide an
opportunity to consider whether the circumstances which led to the creation of the Agency
or NDPB, or confirmation of that status at the last review, have changed. And, if so,
whether Agency or NDPB status, or some other option, is now appropriate.
1.13. The main options which should be considered in Stage One are:
| abolition; |
| continued Agency or NDPB status; |
| market testing; |
| merger or rationalisation; |
| privatisation; and |
| strategic contracting out. |
These options relate to the whole organisation, and conclusions about the best option
do not rule out other solutions for specific activities within an Agency or NDPB which
should be assessed through Better Quality Services reviews 3.
1.14. In assessing the options the following should be borne in mind:
| it will most often make sense to look at the question of abolition early on, not because
there is a presumption that this will be the best option, which there is not, but because
it will aid the efficient handling of the review;
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| not all options will necessarily have to be considered in equal depth in order to assess
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| them properly, but the review should provide clear evidence that they have been covered
adequately;
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| sometimes the best means of delivering services and functions in the future will be a
combination of more than one of the options mentioned above; and
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| the importance of taking a longer term view, where appropriate, which may lead to a
recognition that a particular option may not be appropriate now but may become so at some
stage in the future.
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| KEY POINT: When reviewing Agencies, all options
should be assessed equally on their merits. You should not start by assuming that any one
of the options is to be preferred over the others. |
1.15. When reviewing NDPBs, the sequence in which the options should be taken is as
follows:
| firstly, decide whether the function is required at all (ie abolition); and
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| secondly, if it is, whether an NDPB is the best way of meeting the relevant Departmental
objectives (ie a review of all the other options). |
1.16. Fact Sheet 2 provides more
information on each of the options mentioned above.
Past performance
1.17. Reviews are an important opportunity to look at how well an Agency or NDPB has
performed against its aims, objectives, key targets and quality standards in the past.
They are also an opportunity to assess how well the relationship with Ministers and the
parent/sponsor Department has worked; the Agency’s or NDPB’s relationship with
its customers and other stakeholders and the extent to which it has been responsive to
their needs, including the views of staff; and the impact of the freedoms and
flexibilities afforded to the Agency or NDPB on its ability to achieve its aim and
objectives. Fact Sheet 3 identifies the
types of questions which the review should consider asking during Stage One.
Improving future performance
1.18. Improving performance should be an ongoing process, but Stage Two of a review is
a key factor in establishing a strong framework to ensure that an Agency or NDPB has in
place the necessary drivers to enable it to achieve continuous improvement in its
performance until the time of the next review. It is important to ensure, amongst other
things, that:
| The Agency or NDPB’s performance management regime meets the needs of an effective
business planning framework.
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| The Agency or NDPB has in place aims, objectives and targets which are consistent with
and support the relevant Departmental or cross-cutting Public Service Agreement. And that
they are properly authorised, sufficiently focused, stretching, consistent and validated
to help the Agency or NDPB achieve improved performance in the future, and in doing so
meet the Government’s priorities. In order to ensure ownership of such targets,
Agencies and NDPBs should be involved in the target-setting process.
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| The Agency or NDPB has the right type and level of freedoms and flexibilities to allow
it to deliver quality and responsive services and functions efficiently.
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| The governance and reporting arrangements which define the Agency’s or NDPB’s
relationship with Ministers and the parent/sponsor Department are supportive of its
ability to achieve its aims and objectives. |
1.19. Fact Sheet 4 describes the types of
questions which should be asked when considering the sort of framework within which the
Agency or NDPB needs to be operating in the future. As well as these, the review should
also draw on other evidence which is relevant to improving future performance. For
example, the results of an Agency or NDPB assessing itself using the European Foundation
for Quality Management Excellence Model®; and assessments undertaken as part of any
application under the Charter Mark award scheme 4. In
addition, two other important factors in helping to improve performance are: taking full
advantage of the scope for partnership working and making better use of new technology
– these are discussed further, below.
Listening to customers, staff and other stakeholders
1.20. Finding out what customers and other stakeholders want and need is an important
part of Agency and NDPB reviews, as it is of the wider Modernising Government programme.
Their views on how well an Agency or NDPB is meeting their expectations is a key element
in deciding, as part of Stage One, whether Agency or NDPB status should be retained in the
future. If it is, then their views will also be important in Stage Two in helping the
Agency or NDPB in meeting future expectations.
The Government also wants staff at all levels to contribute to the evaluation of
policies and services to give them an opportunity to contribute their ideas about how they
might be improved. Their views, and those of their trade unions, should, therefore, also
be sought as part of both stages.
1.21. Departments should give early consideration, well in advance of a review, to the
sort of information to be obtained from these various interested parties, and put
collection in hand so that the information is available when the review starts. This
should include seeking responses via the parent/sponsor Department’s, Agency’s
or NDPB’s web sites. Thinking about what information is needed only when the review
begins may lead to unnecessary delay. Many Agencies and NDPBs already consult their
customers and staff regularly and reviews should not necessarily need to repeat such work
if it covers the appropriate issues and is sufficiently current to remain relevant. To
help make routine consultation as usable as possible for the purposes of an Agency or NDPB
review, Fact Sheet 5 sets out the sorts of
questions which are relevant to finding out customers’, staff and other
stakeholders’ views of past performance and how the delivery of services can be
improved in the future. In practice, these views could often be sought through the same
exercise rather than separately at each Stage. Assessments carried out under the European
Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model® and the Charter Mark award scheme may
also provide relevant information on customer and staff views.
1.22. Modernising Government encourages new and innovative ways of working. Working in
partnership with others is an important part of such an approach. Customers are often not
interested in which organisations lie behind the delivery of a particular service but in
whether they can gain access to that service easily and whether it meets their needs.
1.23. Agency and NDPB reviews are an important opportunity to look at the links which
these organisations have, or should have, with other bodies in pursuit of delivering more
responsive services. Identifying these links should be carried out early on in a review.
Doing so will help to highlight whether there is a strong case for carrying out a joint or
parallel review from the start. It will also help to focus any second stage work on how to
improve an Agency’s or NDPB’s effectiveness through greater partnership working.
1.24. Fact Sheet 6 sets out some of the
issues to be considered when seeking to develop effective partnerships.
Joint or
parallel reviews
| The starting point for most reviews will be the single Agency or
NDPB. However, there may be occasions when it would make more sense to look at a number of
organisations at the same time, either as part of the same review (joint) or using two or
more reviews running concurrently (parallel).
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| This is because reviewing the Agencies or NDPBs separately may
mean that the full potential of each review - which are likely to be happening at
different times - to help improve the way in which services and functions are delivered
are not realised because it will not take full account of the actual or potential
synergies which exist.
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| Such reviews could be particularly useful in assessing the
effectiveness of existing and potential partnership working between the organisations
involved.
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| Fact Sheet 7
provides more information on the circumstances when a joint or parallel review might be
appropriate. organisations, including Agencies and NDPBs, to make the best use possible of
new technology. It is a key enabler of Modernising Government. Doing so will help to
achieve joined-up working with different parts of government and provide new, efficient
and convenient ways for citizens and businesses to communicate with Agencies and NDPBs and
to receive services. The importance of new technology is reflected in the target that 25
per cent of dealings with government should be capable of being done by the public
electronically by 2002; and that 50 per cent and 100 per cent of those dealings should be
capable of electronic delivery by 2005 and 2008 respectively. |
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Making better use of technology
1.25. The Government wants all public sector organisations, including Agencies and
NDPBs, to make the best use possible of new technology. It is a key enabler of Modernising
Government. Doing so will help to achieve joined-up working with different parts of
government and provide new, efficient and convenient ways for citizens and businesses to
communicate with Agencies and NDPBs and to receive services. The importance of new
technology is reflected in the target that 25 per cent of dealings with government should
be capable of being done by the public electronically by 2002; and that 50 per cent and
100 per cent of those dealings should be capable of electronic delivery by 2005 and 2008
respectively.
1.26. In order to ensure that IT systems are developed in a co-ordinated way, which
will enable them to focus on the needs of customers and users and encourage a wider choice
on how public services should be provided, the Government is developing a corporate IT
strategy. Agency and NDPB reviews are an opportunity to consider how services could be
improved through better use of new technology and in a way which is in keeping with such a
strategy. In particular, new technologies raise new possibilities for organisational
structure, the re-engineering of business processes, and modes of service delivery.
Departments should, therefore, ensure that these possibilities are considered at the start
of a review.
1.27. Fact Sheet 8 sets out the key
considerations for this aspect of the review.
1.28. The Modernising Government White Paper sets out the Government’s commitment
to work to align the boundaries of public bodies, to simplify administration, increase
efficiency and encourage joined-up service delivery. Wherever possible, boundaries should
coincide with local authority boundaries at the local level and with Government Office
regions’ boundaries at the regional level. The presumption is that geographical
boundaries should be aligned in this way whenever public bodies next review their
administrative, managerial or delivery arrangements structures, except where there are
strong over-riding considerations. These issues are, therefore, relevant during Stage Two
of an Agency or NDPB review, particularly where the organisation already operates through
a local or regional structure.
Identifying and spreading good practice
1.29. The Government is interested in finding out what works and in spreading best
practice throughout the public sector as it seeks to modernise the delivery of public
services. As key players in the provision of public services, Agencies and NDPBs are
well-placed to do this. And Agency and NDPB reviews are important vehicles for helping the
process of learning, given the number and wide range of bodies to which they are applied.
1.30. In the past, many Agency and NDPB reviews have identified lessons learned and
good practice but they have not always received wider circulation because the means to do
so has not been readily available. Departments are, therefore, now required to provide the
Cabinet Office with a list of key lessons learnt and good practice identified at the end
of each review. This can cover the conduct of the review, as well as points relevant to
improving the future delivery of services. The list should also be included in the final
review report. This information will be placed on the Cabinet Office Best Practice web
site.
Framework Documents and Management Statements
1.31 If the review confirms Agency or NDPB status,
it is likely that there will need to be changes to an Agency’s Framework Document
or the Management Statement of an executive NDPB. For example, the review may have
identified changes which need to be made to the governance and reporting arrangements, or
the freedoms and flexibilities which apply. In addition, if, as a result of the review, an
Agency or NDPB has identified new or different partnership arrangements with other bodies,
these may need to be formalised in the Framework Document or Management Statement. Further
details of the scope and purpose of these two documents can be found in Fact Sheets 9 and 10
respectively.
1.32 Changes to an Agency’s Framework Document need to be agreed with Departmental
Ministers and with the Cabinet Office and the Treasury.
What the guidance means for you
1.33. Reviews will have different implications for parent/sponsor Departments, those
carrying out the review, and Agencies and NDPBs. These are summarised below.
What the guidance means for parent/sponsor
Departments
Planning and preparation
| Think in good time about timing, information needs, whether to fulfil BQS commitments at
the same time. |
| Consider whether a joint review would be more appropriate; and if other reviews are
relevant to the timing and scope of your review. |
Engage Ministers and senior officials in the review.
| Involve the Agency or NDPB in planning and preparing for the review; including staff and
their trade unions. |
| Keep Cabinet Office and Treasury informed of progress in shaping the review. |
| Consider how the review can help you achieve wider Governmental and Departmental |
PSA objectives.
| Decide how best to inject the necessary external challenge into the review (e.g. is a
Steering Group needed?). |
| Agree terms of reference. |
| Identify the skills needed to carry out the review and appoint the reviewer(s)
accordingly. |
| Consider whether a member of staff from the Agency or NDPB should be included in the
review team. |
| Agree a project plan with clear start, completion and interim milestone dates. |
| Announce the review to Parliament and (for NDPBs) the relevant Select Committees, and
inform customers and other interested parties. |
Stage One
| Monitor progress against the project plan. |
| Keep Ministers, Cabinet Office and Treasury informed, including any emerging
conclusions. |
| Allow the Steering Group (if established) sufficient time to consider and comment on
reviewer(s) conclusions. |
| Obtain agreement of Ministers, Cabinet Office and Treasury to recommended option (for
all Agencies and large executive NDPBs, i.e. with staff of 100 or more). |
| Inform the Agency or NDPB. |
| Announce the outcome to Parliament and publish the results as appropriate. |
| If outcome is an option other than retaining the Agency or NDPB, start work to change
status. |
Stage Two (if required)
| Use the results of Stage One to focus Stage Two analysis on those areas where most
potential exists for improving performance; and/or refocusing the Agency’s or
NDPB’s work in line with new priorities. |
| Establish how Stage Two recommendations will be taken forward and progress monitored. |
| Amend the Framework Document or Management Statement accordingly (see Fact Sheets 9 and
10 respectively for guidance on the purpose and content of these documents), (for
Agencies) in agreement with Ministers, Cabinet Office and Treasury. Ensure that staff of
the Agency or NDPB are aware of any implications these have for terms and conditions of
service. |
After the review
| Monitor progress, against an action plan agreed with the Agency or NDPB, in implementing
changes recommended by Stage One (with regard to any change of status) or Stage Two (with
regard to greater partnership working; better use of new technology; more/different
freedoms and flexibilities; better consultation with customers etc). |
| Where the second stage has been carried |
| out, consider how the Corporate and Business Plans need to be changed to reflect any
measures identified as being needed to improve future performance. |
| If the review has highlighted issues regarding the Department’s sponsorship
function, consider whether the training and development of staff needs to be enhanced. |
| Provide Cabinet Office with information on key lessons learnt and examples of good
practice highlighted by the review. |
|
What the guidance means for reviewers
Planning and preparation
| Understand the role and purpose of the Agency or NDPB and its contribution to delivering
wider Government policies. |
| Identify what your information needs will be; whether such information already exists;
and if not how you will collect it. |
| Be clear about the timetable for the review. |
| Confirm whether you will be fulfilling a commitment to a BQS review at the same time. |
| If a parallel review is planned, make contact with other reviewers to establish liaison
arrangements. |
| Map out the links which the Agency or NDPB currently has with other organisations and
decide how you will involve them. |
Stage One
| Collect the necessary information. |
| Obtain customers’ views either using the results of recent consultation exercises
or a specific exercise for the review; including inviting responses via the parent/sponsor
Department’s, Agency’s or NDPB’s web sites. |
| Assess the various organisational options equally on their merits against the same set
of criteria. |
| Be alive to the possibility that other options may emerge in the course of your work
which may need to be considered. |
| Keep the Department informed of progress. |
| Provide a draft report in good time for the Department and Steering Group (if
established) to consider and comment. |
| Reflect comments in final report to Department. |
Stage Two (if required)
| Assess the scope for improving performance through greater partnership working; better
use of new technology; more freedoms and flexibilities; better consultation with customers
etc. |
| In making recommendations to the Department and the Agency or NDPB as to how best to
change the Agency’s or NDPB’s approach to service delivery, bear in mind the
wider Government policies and programmes to which it contributes. |
| Specifically consult customers and staff and their representatives about how the Agency
or NDPB can work differently or better. |
| Identify to what extent the Framework Document or Management Statement (see Fact Sheets
9 and 10 respectively) needs to be amended to reflect agreed changes. |
|
What the guidance means for Agencies and NDPBs
Planning and preparation
| Identify whether there are particular issues for your Agency or NDPB which the review
should address and discuss these with the Department. |
| Inform staff and their trade unions before the review starts about its purpose,
timetable and terms of reference. |
| Inform staff about who will be carrying out the review and how they will be gathering
evidence. |
| Identify a member of staff who would be suitable as a member of the review team if
appropriate. |
| Ensure that the necessary information is available at the start of the review. |
| Ensure that key staff are available to be seen by the reviewer(s) when required. |
| Consider whether the review provides an opportunity to address particular issues or
problems facing the Agency or NDPB. |
| Determine whether the review will be used to fulfil your BQS commitment. |
Stage One
| Keep staff and their trade unions informed of the progress of the review. |
| Ensure that the review is aware of the Agency’s or NDPB’s views on its past
performance and its relationships with its parent/sponsor Department. |
| Once the recommendations of Stage One have been agreed with Ministers, Cabinet Office
and Treasury (for all Agencies and large executive NDPBs with staff of 100 or more),
inform staff and their trade unions as soon as possible. |
| Where a change of status is agreed, work with the Department to take this forward to the
agreed timetable. |
Stage Two (if required)
| Work with the review to identify where most impact can be achieved in improving the
Agency’s or NDPB’s performance, drawing on the results from Stage One. |
| Engage your staff in developing ideas for greater partnership working, better use of new
technology, greater/different freedoms and flexibilities; better consultation with
customers, so as to help improve performance and/or refocus the role of the Agency or
NDPB. |
| Work with the Department in reviewing and amending your Framework Document or Management
Statement (see Fact Sheets 9 and 10 respectively), as necessary. |
| Agree with the Department how changes will be monitored and progress reported on. |
After the review
| Consider, with the Department, how your Corporate and Business Plans may need to change
to reflect any measures agreed as being necessary to help improve performance in the
future. |
| Agree an action plan to take forward the agreed changes including monitoring and
reporting on progress. |
| Consider whether changes ari#sing from the review have implications for meeting the
training and development needs of your staff. |
| Keep your customers, staff and their trade unions, and other stakeholders informed
of developments. |
| Report progress in your Annual Report. |
|
Footnotes
1 Cm 4310, Modernising Government, March 1999 (also
available on the Internet at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/moderngov/1999/whitepaper)
2 Cm 4181, Public Services for the Future:
Modernisation, Reform and Accountability, December 1998.
3 More detailed guidance on BQS reviews can be found in
Better Quality Services: A handbook on creating public/private partnerships through market
testing and contracting out, 1998, ISBN 0 11 630964 4 (which is available on the Internet
at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/eeg/1998/quality/hb_ind.htm)
4 Further information on the EFQM Excellence Model®
can be obtained from British Quality Foundation, 32–34 Great Peter Street, London
SW1P 2QX
(Web site: http://www.quality-foundation.co.uk).
Information on how to apply the EFQM Excellence Model® to the UK public sector is
available on the Internet at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/eeg/1999/benchmarking.htm
Information on Charter Mark is available on the internet at http://www.chartermark.gov.uk
5 More detailed guidance on BQS reviews can be found
in Better Quality Services: A handbook on creating public/private partnerships through
market testing and contracting out, 1998, ISBN 0 11 630964 4 (which is available on the
Internet at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/eeg/1998/quality/hb_ind.htm)
Contents
Fact Sheets |
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